By Eliza Ridgeway
 Lazzarini displays the acrobatic moves that earned his first-place finish on FOX TV’s “So You Think You Can Dance.” |
A principal and a TV star faced off last week at Blach Intermediate School and thrilled students with a dance-off, powered by the pounding 1970s style of “Stayin’ Alive.”
In ripped jeans, flip-flops and shades, 21-year-old Nick Lazzarini, who recently won FOX TV’s “So You Think You can Dance,” spun and flipped to cheers from students at his alma mater. But acting Principal Wade Spenader electrified the crowd with a goofy G-rated parody of a striptease, and Lazzarini conceded the win.
“That’s definitely the funniest thing any of us has ever seen,” eighth-grader Alison Chalker said. Students mobbed Lazzarini and asked him about the experience of filming reality TV.
Did he make a lot of money? Yes, Lazzarini said with a grin. As winner of the show, he received $100,000 and a penthouse in New York for a year. And is reality TV fake?
“Nothing is scripted or fake on the show,” Lazzarini said. Every week contestants were paired up and assigned a dance routine to learn, ranging from tango to hip hop.
Before winning “So You Think You Can Dance,” Nick Lazzarini grew up in Mountain View, dancing and choreographing in local studios. He started dancing at 4 and has been teaching and choreographing since he was 14.
A graduate of Springer and Blach schools, Lazzarini returned last week to visit former teachers and face off against Spenader, his former history teacher, for a dance-off rematch. They first dueled at Lazzarini’s eighth-grade graduation dance.
“I didn’t want to dance, I just wanted to watch him!” Lazzarini joked after conceding the victory. He is in the Bay Area this month choreographing for young people.
“I love L.A. and New York, but I’m more of a home person,” Lazzarini said.
His respite here will be brief, however. He has already received offers on Broadway and is in talks with the FOX network about another show.
